Gen Alpha thinks this generation can be saved

I could scarcely enjoy the rare near uniform appreciation for my role as a mother during Mother’s Day weekend before the more widely accepted rhetoric drowned out praise with outrage at the commencement speech given by Superbowl champion Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker.

Butker, a devout Catholic, delivered a speech aligned with Judeo-Christian values to an audience and graduating class at a Catholic college. Naturally, he must be socially destroyed. In the aftermath of the outrage and cries for his cancellation, I tuned in to my nephew’s social media accounts to notice he was not even momentarily fooled by the hysteria.

My oldest nephew has been watching this whole debacle from the perspective of a young man. He is passionate about his Catholic faith and is set to attend the University of Notre Dame in the Fall with an interest in a future in politics. He is a football player and has followed not only Butker's career but his expressions of faith as well. We got to spend some time together over his Spring break and his hope for the future was a breath of fresh air.

My nephew is 18 years old and is looking at the next few years of his life. He is weighing different aspects of his future. While on our spring break trip, I asked him his thoughts on the recent protests on college campuses.  He offered an example of students countering these grotesque initiatives of dismantling fixed points of creation with stories of rebuttal. He ended his statement with, “I think it can be saved.”

Something about the intersectionality of addressing old problems with updated solutions has created a powerful culture that Gen Alpha is attracted to; they know some things have been terribly wrong for a long time and they are seeking opportunities to contribute to viable solutions. They see men like Harrison Butker beaming a photo taken at the White House, standing behind our walking oxymoron of a president who claims to be both Catholic and pro-choice, wearing a Precious Little Feet pin and a tie with “Vulnerari Praesidio” (“protect the vulnerable”) stitched into the fabric.  

The next generation is watching and they are pushing back against false narratives. They are drawing connections between Judeo-Christian values and the impact they have on creating, repairing, and maintaining fruitful societies. They refuse to be smitten by activism void of real meaning, and they demand of themselves the fortitude and brazen character that will accomplish great and mighty things. They are hopeful, and they are the hope of our future.

A culture of life focuses on the “how” of solving issues. Such a culture is not threatened by tradition — it appreciates the past while navigating the needs of the future. Generation Alpha has this edge to them; they are not so disillusioned that they scoff at hope. They are less film noir and Brave New World and more Steve Rogers in a back alley with his fists raised to the absurdities peddled to them by the culture saying, “I can do this all day.”

They are intelligent, they are innovative, and they are ready. Take it from an early 30s wife, mother, and proud aunt to one of the best of Generation Alpha: the future is hopeful.